Judge orders Trump to use emergency fund to disburse SNAP benefits

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(The Center Square) – A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to continue funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, while a second judge ruled that the administration's plan to not disperse funds was "unlawful." 

U.S District Judge John McConnell of Rhode Island ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use emergency funds to provide SNAP disbursements. 

In an announcement earlier this week, the USDA said the ongoing government shutdown made it so "the well has run dry" to fund SNAP. 

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts said Congress appropriates $6 billion to SNAP to last through Sept. 30, 2026, in the 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act. 

"Defendants are statutorily mandated to use the previously appropriated SNAP contingency reserve when necessary and also have discretion to use other previously appropriated funds," Talwani wrote. 

Talwani ordered the USDA to submit plans to the court by Nov. 3 on whether they will authorize reduced SNAP benefits for November. The $6 billion is not enough to fully fund SNAP benefits in November.

Massachusetts, California and North Carolina were among dozens of states that filed lawsuits against the Trump administration over the suspension of SNAP benefits. 

"The suspension creates a substantial risk that SNAP recipients will need to rely on, and potentially overwhelm, existing state resources and services" Talwani wrote in an order. 

SNAP benefits that were scheduled to be distributed on Nov. 1 may be delayed due to the timing of the orders. 

Nationally, more than 40 million American rely on SNAP to purchase food.